Awareness of Prediabetes Remains Low

Authors
of a report published March 22 in the Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report say that just over 11% of US adults with
prediabetes were told during 2009-2010 that they have the condition. The report
also indicates awareness of prediabetes was low (<14%) across all population
subgroups and different levels of health care access or use and other factors.

The
report is based on the
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an ongoing,
stratified, multistage probability sample of the noninstitutionalized US
civilian population. This analysis was conducted using data from 3 sampling
cycles of NHANES, with examination response rates of approximately 77% for 2005-2006,
75% for 2007-2008, and 77% for 2009-2010.

During 2005-2010, the percentage of
persons aged ≥20 years with prediabetes who were aware of their prediabetes
remained low but was slightly higher during 2009-2010 (11.1%) than during 2005-2006
(7.7) During 2005-2010, prevalence of prediabetes awareness was lower among those
aged 20-44 years (5.1%) compared with
persons aged 45-64 years (10.0%) and those aged ≥65 years (11.95). Age-adjusted
prevalence of prediabetes awareness was lower among persons with less than a
high school education (4.9%) compared with those with greater than a high
school education (8.7%). Prevalence was higher among overweight (7.9%) and
obese (9.9%) individuals compared with those of normal weight (4.3%). Also, it
was higher among those with a family history of diabetes compared with those
without (10.4% vs 6.2%).

Because
the vast majority of people with prediabetes are unaware of their condition,
identification and improved awareness of prediabetes are critical first steps
to encourage them to make healthy lifestyle changes or to enroll in
evidence-based, lifestyle-change programs aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes,
say the authors.